Adrien stared off into the distance, chewing a pencil in his mouth as Nathalie walked circles around the 22-person dining table. The air in the dining room was cold and stale. Adrien had long since lost the feeling in his toes from the chill of the AC. There was hardly any color in the dining room, only black and white shapes.

Except for the portrait of him, his mom, and his father hanging above an empty fireplace. Without looking at it, Adrien could practically see it in his mind: his mother in white and pink, his father in blue, and him in a turquoise green shirt.

If only it was his mother here instead of Nathalie...

"Who was the first president of the 5th French Republic?" the secretary asked.

The answer spilled out of Adrien's mouth in a monotone blob.

"Everyone thinks it was de Gaulle, but it was actually Rene Coty before the first elections."

Nathalie looked up from her quiz paper. She gave him a small, proud smile. "Excellent, Adrien. That's correct."

He rolled his eyes and used his mouth to move the pencil from one corner of his lips to the other. He could vividly taste the graphite, but it was keeping him awake at this point.

Just then, the door at the end of the hall opened.

"Give me a moment, would you, Nathalie?"

Adrien immediately straightened in his chair. It was his father, Gabriel Agreste.

"Yes, sir," Nathalie said, moving to the far wall and putting away the notes.

His father's eyes glared down his pointed nose at Adrien from across the room, his dark grey eyes shining behind his glasses. His hands were firmly held behind his back and he stood like a pole ran from his spine to the back of his heels.

"Adrien, you are not going to school. I already explicitly told you no."

Adrien's eyes widened and he turned his shocked look to Nathalie. She dropped her eyes to the floor, avoiding his gaze. A bubble of anger started to swell in his chest. He forced himself to his feet and planted his hands on the table.

"But Father-"

"Everything you need is right here, where I can keep an eye on you," he continued, cutting Adrien off. "I will not have you outside in that dangerous world."

"Father, it's not dangerous," Adrien insisted. "Just because mom died out there doesn't mean I will."

Gabriel's nostrils flared. He took a step forward, his shiny black shoes squeaking on the floor. "You will not use your mother against me in an argument, young man. You know - as well as I - how much she loved you and wanted to keep you safe."

"Father, school isn't dangerous. Mom wouldn't want me stuck inside all by myself." When his father opened his mouth to cut him off again, Adrien quickened his argument. "Not only that, I'm taking fencing lessons for a reason, right? I can protect myself from whatever could happen. And also, there's no one around here that's my age."

He dug his feet and stood his ground, leveling his gaze on his father. "So, why can't I go to school just like everyone else?"

Gabriel's pole holding him upright snapped. He slammed his fist on the table.

"Because you are not like everyone else! You are my son and I will not allow you to make the same foolish mistake your mother did!"

A different type of chill fell over the room. It was like hearing the last fading echo in an empty cave. Adrien stared at his father. The 22-person dining table had become a bottomless canyon that neither could cross.

It took a moment for his father to collect himself. He straightened, pulled the sleeves of his white suit down over his wrists, and gave a stern look to Nathalie.

"Continue."

And with that, he turned and walked out of the room. The closed door echoed through the mostly-empty dining room.

"We can leave it there for today," Nathalie said, like nothing had happened. "If you have-"

"Why did you tell him?" Adrien demanded, turning to face her. "You promised me you wouldn't tell him!"

Nathalie had a hard time meeting his gaze - he could tell by the way her hands fidgeted. She pulled her shoulders back and tucked the history lesson behind her. "I am your father's secretary, Adrien. It is my job to inform him of events that have happened and that will happen."

"Forget your job!" he shouted. "I trusted you! You know everything that he's putting on my shoulders - piano, fencing, modeling, and homeschooling. Couldn't you at least have let me go to school for a single day?"

"Adrien, that's not-"

He scoffed, turning away and shoved all of his notes into his backpack. "I should have known. You're just a pawn for my father to move around to keep me in check. It's not like you actually care about me." He glared at her over his shoulder. "I can't believe I thought you could be like my mom."

Before he could let her say anything, he threw his backpack over his shoulder and stormed out of the room, unafraid to slam the door behind him.

Like father, like son.

He climbed the main staircase to his room, feet pounding on the steps. As he marched into his room, he threw the door shut behind him and locked it. Once he knew he'd be left alone, he threw his backpack on his coffee table and collapsed on the white couch in front of the TV.

To think that it was only this morning that he thought today would be the day everything changed. If anything, it was only more proof that he was nothing more than a doll to his father - fragile, pale, and only for decoration.

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes and he tried not to cry. He couldn't take much more of the loneliness. He had nothing to do and nobody to talk to.

Sure, he could play his piano, but he'd only practice later. He could play video games but he knew he'd already beaten his high score. He could watch a movie or read a book, but he knew he wouldn't have time to finish before he had to leave for fencing practice.

So, he laid on the couch. Lonely, depressed, and hopelessly longing for a purpose.

After twenty minutes of trying to hold back tears, he felt a sudden shake. The couch trembled and this bookbag bounced on the coffee table. Adrien squinted, his eyebrows furrowing.

What was that? An earthquake?

It happened again. His fencing trophies shook in their cubbies and his computer monitor flickered. The CDs and books on the upper level of his room started to shake themselves off the shelves.

He reached for the remote on the arm of the couch and turned the TV on, flipping to the news. Surely they would have something about what was going on. What he saw made him sit up abruptly.

The mayor, Mr. Bourgeois, stood in front of the mayoral offices, a crowd of reporters and microphones flooding around him. In big red text across the bottom of the screen, the headline read "A SUPER-VILLAIN IN PARIS?!".

Supervillain?

"I am asking all Parisians to stay home until this situation is under control." Mayor Bourgeois was saying. "We realize that this is a very scary and unknown situation, but our professionals are handling it swiftly and safely. Please, I repeat, stay out of the streets until the situation is under control."

A swarm of reporters started shouting the mayor's name as the camera cut back to the studio where the news anchor, Nadja Chamach, continued the breaking story.

"As incredible as it seems, it's been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a supervillain. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control."

The camera cut again to show the police chief Roger with a reporter. He seemed hurt; multiple bruises covered his neck and arms with various scratches along his hands. His right arm was even wrapped in a makeshift sling. Despite the injuries, his determined gaze held the camera lenses' attention.

"Be confident, the strong arm of the law will come crashing down on this unsuspecting villain! I will make sure of that!"

Adrien sat back against the couch, barely taking in what he was hearing. There was a supervillain in Paris? Where'd it come from? And why was it here?

His gaze drifted to his backpack and it's various spilled out contents. Maybe his father was right... the world was dangerous.

Something caught his eye. Something he didn't recognize in the pile of things from his book bag. He leaned forward and picked up a small, black and red box in the shape of a hexagon. On top red ink was spelled out, making odd Chinese characters.

"What's this doing here?" Adrien muttered aloud.

~ ~ ~

Marinette sat in her office chair, legs tight to her chest as she watched her computer screen. It wasn't every day that the school evacuated their students to their homes due to an abnormal monster attack. Then again, it was the first day of school.

"I hate the first day back," Marinette muttered to herself.

Last year on the first day of school, Chloe had gotten the whole class in on a prank that ended up with Marinette's clothes completely ruined. The year before that, an anonymous person made all the grades believe she'd moved away to China - even convinced the principal to delete her enrollment. And Marinette had a feeling she knew who it had been.

And now, the school had been practically blown up by a super villain that looked like a giant rock.

Just great. She loved school.

She sighed and unfolded her legs. She was tired of it all. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her desk and did her best to fight back her tears. She never wanted to go back to school ever again, even if there might have been a new friend waiting for her.

She opened her eyes and spotted something out of place on her desk. Furrowing her eyebrows, she reached out and grabbed a small, hexagonal box. Intricate red writing was carved deep into the wood and it felt durable in her hand. Worn and used, yet dainty and elegant.

"What's this doing here?" she muttered.

Sitting up in her chair, she carefully opened the box.

Marinette yelped as she was blinded by a bright, pink light. She turned away, the box in her hand suddenly becoming incredibly light. Blinking the spots away from her eyes, she turned her gaze back toward the box. In a blink of an eye, a little red creature was suddenly floating in the air.

"AHHH!" Marinette screamed and fell back out of her chair. Her head slammed into the floor and she groaned out loud.

"Are you okay?" a small voice asked.

Marinette's eyes flew open. She flicked her gaze to where she'd opened the box and there, floating in the air was a red creature that looked like-

"A bug!" Marinette screeched. "A mouse! A-A bug-mouse!"

"No, no," the small creature said, holding up their odd, fin-like arms. "It's okay. Don't be scared."

"IT TALKS! The bug-mouse talks!"

"Marinette, it's okay!"

Everything was not okay. Marinette kept her eyes peeled on the little alien as she fumbled for something - anything - to stop it. Her fingers curled around a glass she'd left on the floor next to her diary the night before.

The red creature slowly came closer to her, it's arms extended. "Listen, I know everything may seem a bit strange to you-"

In a flash, Marinette swooped her arm out and caught the creature in the glass.

"What are you and how do you know my name?" she demanded, her tongue sharp. "Did Chloe put you up to this? Is this some sort of trick?"

The creature shook its head, looking honestly confused. "No, I don't know a Chloe or why this would be a trick. I'm a kwami, and my name is Tikki."

"Tikki, huh? You don't look like anything I've ever seen before."

The creature - Tikki - nodded. "Kwamis are very rare. We're powerful creatures that help people like you take down supervillains by granting them special powers."

Marinette shook her head. "This is crazy. I must have hit my head way too hard when I fell out of my chair."

"You're not crazy," Tikki said, the purest smile on her face. "I promise."

"This whole day has been crazy! Not only is it the first day of school, but I almost had a new friend and then the whole school basically exploded! For all I know, I could still be passed out on the ground after-"

"It's going to be okay, Marinette, but I need your help. I'm your friend and you have to trust me. You're the only one who can stop Stoneheart!"

She froze, her fingers becoming sweaty on the glass. "Stoneheart?"

"The supervillain taking over Paris!"

Marinette shook her head. "There must be some mistake. The only superpower I could possibly have is super-awkwardness or super-unluckiness." Her eyes lit up. "I know! Alya would be the perfect fit. She's my friend - well, almost-friend. She loves superheroes. She'd totally be up to the job! You should go see her instead!"

"But Marinette, you're the chosen one. Master wouldn't have given me to you if you hadn't proven yourself."

All Marinette could do was stare blankly at Tikki. After a moment, she took a deep breath.

"Listen, I don't know who or why your master chose me, but I'm honestly not the right person for this job. There's so many better people out there."

Tikki pressed her fins up against the glass, her blue eyes shining. "Please, Marinette. Please, for the sake of everyone in Paris, please try."

Marinette's gaze shifted from the little kwami to her computer screen. Images of the rock monster terrorizing the city at multiple locations were playing on loop with Nadja narrating over the top.

If she didn't do something... what would happen to the city? Her family?

"I'll walk you through the entire process," Tikki said. "With your help, everything will return to normal. You just need to trust me."

After a long pause, Marinette took a deep breath. "Okay. What do I need to do?"

~ ~ ~

Adrien teetered on his staff, balancing himself like an expert and he made his way across the chasm that was the street below. His body felt boosted, fueled, and oddly flexible. His costume was both tight fitting and loose all at the same time - all black and themed as a cat.

When Plagg - his kwami - had introduced himself to Adrien, he couldn't help but wonder if this was all a dream. Had he fallen asleep at the table in the dining room while doing homework? He doubted it, thanks to the feeling of the wind in his face and the sounds of the honking cars below.

But the one thing that made the experience feel like a dream was the sense of freedom that flowed through his veins. He didn't have to be anywhere he didn't want to be. No fencing classes, piano lessons, or modeling appointments.

Just him, his staff, and the expanse of Paris below.

His giant smile was starting to hurt his cheeks. "I can get used to this," he muttered to himself.

Then, something caught his ear. A soft sound that was getting louder. Was that a scream?

Adrien looked up only to see a red figure flying right toward him. His smile fell away as his instincts kicked into gear. He outstretched his arms just in time to catch the person slammed into him. His feet slipped on his staff. Yelping, he tried to find his balance but it was too late.

Adrien and the mystery person fell toward the street. Bracing for impact, Adrien squeezed his eyes shut.

TWINK!

Something jolted Adrien and the red figure. He grunted, feeling a tightness wrapped around his body. After taking a second to take in the situation, he realized he was tied up in a black and red cord.

The red figure - who he finally realized was a girl - looked so embarrassed that her face matched her suit, minus the black spots of course. What caught his eye most of all, though, were her eyes. Bright blue, almost the color of the sky, with streaks of dark blue that drew him in.

To break the awkward tension, he chuckled and said, "Well, hey there. Nice of you to drop in."

"I am so sorry," the girl gushed. "I didn't mean to crash into you on purpose."

Adrien smiled. "It's alright. You must be the partner my kwami was telling me about." He wriggled in the black cord that had them pinned "I, uh, don't mean to demand anything from you, but could you put us down?"

The girl fumbled with something in her hand for a second before the two of them landed on the ground. Adrien got to his feet and noticed what she'd played with was what appeared to be a yo-yo. He extended a hand.

"Here, let me help you up. My name's... uh," he glanced at his suit, "Cat...noir. Yeah, Chat Noir. And you?"

She took his gloved hand and got to her feet before trying to wind up her yo-yo manually. "I'm stupidly, terribly clumsy, So so so clumsy."

"Don't sweat it, clumsy girl. I'm still learning the ropes too."

Just then, a powerful roar shook the street. The two teenagers turned toward the sound, only to see a building a couple blocks down begin to crumble. Giant pieces of rubble crashed into the city streets, sending pedestrians screaming.

Fear slithered through his veins, but Adrien - Chat Noir - pushed it aside. He couldn't waste a second. Reaching for his staff, he made it extend as far as it could go, it launched him straight up into the sky.

"Hey wait!" the girl shouted after him. "Where are you going?!"

"To save Paris! Come on!"

---

Thanks for being so patient, everyone! I know it's been a year since I updated, but this is a really rough book to write. Trying to take the show and condense it down into word form is a tough task, but I love the challenge! 

I recently got back into MLB since the new season has been coming out (season 4), and the amount of plot-heavy episodes they're finally giving us really made me inspired to come back and refine the first couple of seasons.

The first couple of chapters will be me going through the first origin episodes before launching into the actual seasons. Be aware that I will be CONDENSING, which might mean some of our favorite moments in filler episodes will be left out. Filler episodes in general will be shortened to small paragraphs - if ever mentioned at all. This book is meant to STREAMLINE the story, not cut it. Gotta kill your darlings to get to the good stuff, like in any good piece of writing. 

More will be coming soon, though with work and a wedding (YES I AM ENGAGED HOW CRAZY IS THAT?!), it might take some time. Your patience is appreciated! 

Thanks for all of your support! 

And, as always, have a Miraculous day!